It’s time again for us to take a look at our Eight Greats Around the State. This is Part II of our take on some of the more intriguing high school football matchups around the great State of Georgia.
Our first preview takes us out east as the Lincoln County Red Devils host the Emanuel County Institute Bulldogs. Both of these teams are favorites to win their respective regions. Will the Bulldogs be able to put a halt to the Lincoln County ground game? Meanwhile, in Atlanta, the Westlake Lions will face another Class AAA opponent this week as the Cedar Grove Saints come calling. Can Cedar Grove knock off one of the top teams in AAAAAAA or will Westlake prove too much for the Saints?
The Rabun County Wildcats will got a visit from the upstart Adairsville Tigers. The Wildcats will be facing their second Class AAA opponent in as many weeks. Will they have the same success or will Adairsville pick up a signature win? Finally, out in West Georgia, the Carrollton Trojans will host the Rome Wolves. These two former Region foes will lock horns as both sport talented players up and down their rosters. Will the young Carrollton Trojans exact some revenge from last year’s matchup or will the Rome Wolves be road warriors this Friday?
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Special thanks to the Georgia Helmet Project for providing each team’s helmet. You can find all of their work here: http://gahelmetproject.com
Special thanks to the Georgia Helmet Project for providing each team’s helmet. You can find all of their work here: http://gahelmetproject.com
Historical records are provided by the Georgia High School Football Historians Association. (ghsfa.org)
The Skinny
The Lincoln County Red Devils are off to their second consecutive 2-0 start. Last week, the Red Devils were without quarterback Trey Huff, but freshmen Mekhi Wade stepped in to take the reins in Huff’s absence. Another freshmen, Kelby Glaze led the team in rushing last week with 65 yards. Glaze and fellow back Semaj Jenkins helped pace the Red Devils rushing attack. Jenkins rushed for 61 yards and scored 2-TDs in the victory last week.
The Emanuel County Institute Bulldogs will look to get back on track with a lot still in front of them even after their loss to Metter last week. The Bulldogs used a stable of backs including P.J. Farnum, Cordarius Lee and “Big” Brian Steele who checks in at 6’2” 234. Both Steele and Farnum scored touchdowns for the Bulldogs last week. Quarterback Bryce Kearson showed good touch on some of his passes. He proved that the Bulldogs aren’t just a one-trick-pony, as they have the ability to pick up big yardage on the ground and through the air.
This is going to be a competitive game between two teams that have the potential to win their respective regions in Class A-D2. Because we don’t know the status of Lincoln County’s Huff, it makes this one a tough call. Either way, it’s hard to believe the Red Devils can overcome ECI’s talented backfield. We like the Bulldogs to go on the road and get the victory. ECI by8.
The Skinny
The Westlake Lions got back on track with a resounding win over the Crisp County Cougars last week. The Lions were sound in all phases of last week’s game. Quarterback R.J. Johnson is completing 67.5% of his passes for 355 yard and 5-TDs while running back Jai’Den Thomas continues to be a workhorse for the Lions. He’s carried the ball 48 times for 256 yards and 3-TDs. Meanwhile sophomore Jabari Jones has emerged as a go-to receiver, as he leads the team with 9 receptions for 183 yards and 2-TDs. Last week, Westlake’s defense did not allow a first down to Crisp County.
The Cedar Grove Saints had their game against Edison Florida canceled last week. Cedar Grove returns plenty of talent on this year’s team which is looking to win their fifth state title in seven years. Quarterback E.J. Colson threw for 161 yards and 2-TDs in their Week-1 victory. His primary targets were Barry Jackson and Ricky Lee who combined to catch 8 passes for 137 yards and a touchdown. Boden Walker and Demarcus Smith lead the Saints in rushing with a combined 151 yards and 1-TD. Meanwhile, Quinterio Lawson, Keith Bass and Adonijah Green lead Cedar Grove in total tackles.
You can throw classifications out the window here as there are talented young men on both sidelines. In a big game like this, we tend to look to experience at the quarterback position, and Westlake holds the edge. We like Westlake by 6 in a closely played game.
The Skinny
The Rabun County Wildcats survived a tough test from Stephens County on Friday. It won’t get much easier as upstart Adairsville comes calling. After amassing over 530 yards of total offense in Week-1, the Wildcats managed just 185 yards of total offense against a stingy opponent. Even with that said, we understand that Rabun County is explosive with players like wide receiver Jaden Gibson and running back Lang Windham. And of course, not to mention quarterback Keegan Stover. Gibson has caught 15 passes for 311 yards and 4-TDs thus far will Stover has passed for 498 yards, with 5-TDs and no interceptions. Defensively, the Wildcats have sacked opposing quarterbacks five times in two games.
The Adairsville Tigers got their season off to an exciting start with an overtime win last week. Adairsville quarterback Jonathan Gough only attempted 14 passes as it was running backs Chris Roper and Ethan Blome leading the way on the ground combining for 243 yards and 3 TDs. On the other side of the ball, it was senior defensive back Grayson Blecher leading the team with 13 total tackles. We suspect that the Adairsville defense will have their hands full with the pass happy attack from Rabun County.
This should be a fun quarterback duel to watch as both quarterbacks have proved they can spin it. The question mark is whether or not Adairsville can find a way to slow down Jaden Gibson. This should be another high scoring game. We like Adairsville ground game to be the difference in a bit of an upset, we like Adairsville to edge Rabun County by 3.
The Skinny
The Carrollton Trojans got a big win over their former region rival South Paulding last week. This week they will get another chance at a former region rival as the Rome Wolves pay them a visit. Freshman quarterback Julian Lewis has thrown over over 500 yards in the young season with 9-TDs, while Bryce Hicks leads the Trojans in rushing yardage and receptions. Takare Lipscomb and Caleb Odom have also been effective as pass catchers with a combined 15 receptions for 256 yards and 3-TDs. Defensively, the Carrollton secondary has forced seven turnovers in two games including six interceptions, while allowing just 14 points per game.
The Rome Wolves went to 2-0 last week with a shutout win over Lithonia. The Wolves are now allowing just 3 points per game on the young season. The defense is led by Stephiylan Green and hard hitting linebacker Alto Moore. This could be one of the best defenses in Class 6A tis season. Meanwhile, the offense was in sync last week as they cruised to a 35 point half time lead. Third year starter Reece Fountain tossed three touchdown passes in the victory last week, with two of those going to Martel Height.
This is certainly one of the marquee matchups across the state this week. Carrollton will definitely test Rome with their up and coming quarterback and talented group of receivers. However, the Rome defense looks to be playing on a different level. We’ll take Rome on the road. Wolves by 5.